Stanford quarterback Davis Mills (15) in action against Northwestern during the second half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019, in Stanford, Calif. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)
Less than two hours before its season opener at Oregon on Saturday, Stanford announced that quarterback Davis Mills, wide receiver Connor Wedington and defensive end Trey LaBounty will not play because of COVID-19 testing results and contact tracing protocol.
Mills, a redshirt junior, was the top-rated quarterback in his class by recruiting services Scout and Rivals. He threw for a school-record 504 yards last season against Washington State and could be the Cardinal’s next great quarterback.
But he won’t be on the field in the opener.
And neither will Wedington, whom this publication rated among Stanford’s top five players to watch this season. He caught 51 passes for 506 yards last season.
Jack West is next on the depth chart at quarterback. The redshirt sophomore has made one start for the Cardinal, a 34-16 loss last season against UCLA. In that game, West was 15 of 32 for 143 yards and sacked seven times.
The news follows two cancellations of Pac-12 openers this weekend because of coronavirus issues — Washington at Cal and Arizona at Utah.
